Helping others to help themselves

It runs between October 3 and October 7, but nominations for the highly anticipated Self Management Awards are now open.

The theme of this year’s awards is Powerful Partnerships – which is particularly pertinent in a time where collaborative working across sectors and integrated services are at the forefront of Scottish service delivery.

This hopefully ensures support for disabled people and those living with long term conditions is available at the right time and in the right setting, with a focus on community-based and preventative care.

In Scotland, the increasing numbers of people living with one or multiple long term conditions is greatly contributing to the pressures on our health services.

People living with multiple conditions are more likely to be admitted to hospital, to be prescribed drugs and to have a poorer quality of life.

Self management is key to improving outcomes for individuals with multiple conditions, allowing people to live their lives better by being more informed, prepared for everyday challenges and having access to support when they need it.

Self Management Week and the awards will acknowledge the powerful partnerships across Scotland, highlighting organisations, projects and health and social care workers who embrace the challenge to work in partnership with people who use support services. Their actions empower individuals to become confident in managing their health care, relieving demand on health services.

The creation and maintaining of strong, successful partnerships is critical to meeting the health and social care challenges of the future. People who use support services have valuable insight, experience and ideas to share with healthcare professionals and they must be respected as experts in their conditions.

This year’s Self Management Week will highlight and celebrate some of the great partnership working happening across the country and bring together our 1500 local and national members to consider what support people need.

The awards, hosted by the Alliance at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday, October 4, will celebrate people who are helping others to live well with long term conditions, providing examples of the approaches which support people best.

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